FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a typical modern wireless communication system 10. The system is comprised of a series of base stations 14. A set of personal wireless communication handsets 12 communicate with the base stations 14. The personal wireless communication handsets 12 communicate with the base stations 14 over a forward link channel 18 and a reverse link channel 20. FIG. 1 shows a variety of types of personal wireless communication handsets. For example, FIG. 1 shows a hand-held portable telephone, a vehicle mounted mobile telephone and a fixed-location, wireless, local-loop telephone. Such systems offer voice and data services. Other modern communication systems operate over wireless satellite links rather than through terrestrial base stations.
Handsets, such as cellular or PCS telephones, are commonly used in the above-described system. FIG. 2 shows a typical cellular handset 20. The handset 20 has a keypad section 22, a display portion 24, and an antenna 26. A power switch 28 to turn the handset on or off is also provided. The keypad section 22 comprises a numerical keypad 30, two soft keys 32, 34 and an up/down toggle key 36. The soft keys 32, 34 serve to select the option shown directly above them in the display portion 24.
Modern electronic products, including such handsets, typically offer numerous features or options to be selected by the user. The features offered in handsets may include, among others, a mute capability, a choice of rings to announce incoming calls, a vibrate-mode instead of a ring, and a selector defining the size of the display.
Such options and features are generally accessed via a menu-driven user interface. A menu system typically has several levels of hierarchy to reach desired features or options. As the number of features and options increase, the user is required to proceed through an increasingly greater number of hierarchical levels to reach the desired setting.
For example, a user of a typical handset may wish to set his handset to vibrate instead of ring in announcing an incoming call while he is in a meeting or at the office. Prior to entering the meeting or the office, he must go through a procedure such as the following, using the user interface of the handset, described with reference to FIGS. 3a–3d. First, he must press the “MENU” soft key 34, as shown in FIG. 3a, to access the menu options. Then, referring to FIG. 3b, he must use the up/down toggle key 36 to select one of the options, “PHONE SETTINGS”, as shown on the display 24 which contains the desired setting. He must then press the “SELECT” soft key 34. In FIG. 3c, The user must again select one of the options, “RING SETTINGS”, as shown on the display 24, and press the “SELECT” soft key 34. Finally, in FIG. 3d, he selects “VIBRATE” from the choices illustrated on the display 24, and then presses the “SELECT” soft key 34 to complete the selection. Upon exiting the meeting or the office, the user must repeat this cumbersome procedure to set the handset to ring to announce an incoming call. A user may be required to go through these steps on a regular basis if he must regularly toggle his handset between ring and vibrate.
Even if a user does not regularly use a feature, he may wish to have that feature be readily accessible. For example, a user may want to use the “mute” function offered by a handset when he does not wish the party on the other end to hear what is being said. In such an instance, the user may not have the time to go through a lengthy, menu-driven process to mute the handset. Although this feature may not be used on a regular basis, it must be readily available when needed.
Consequently, to access a feature or to change an option, a user must extensively navigate the several levels of the menu system, requiring the user to enter several key presses on the keypad. This can be time consuming, inconvenient and confusing, and often results in users not utilizing the capabilities of their cellular phones.
A method or apparatus is needed to allow users to readily access any desired feature, even if the feature is deeply embedded in the hierarchical menu structure. Thus, there is a need to allow users to design their own shortcuts to provide quick access to the user's preferred settings and features. There is also a need to allow users to activate several features or settings at once by combining the activation steps into a single shortcut step.